(AAP Image/David Mariuz)
Western Australia is calling for proposals to help develop the state’s first “disconnected microgrids” – isolated, self-supported networks powering small towns that operate independently from the rest of the grid, and comprise at least 90% renewables.
The idea is to take whole towns off the grid – saving money from having to upgrade ageing poles and wires that are vulnerable to winds, storms and bushfires.It is part of Western Power’s long mooted “modular grid” and is effectively the end of the old hub and spoke model built around large centralised generation that dominated Australia’s power system for decades.
It has already been estimated that tens of thousands of remote and regional customers – individuals and communities – could be served with cheaper, cleaner and more reliable power by having renewables-based micro-grids, rather than relying on power sent from centralised generators hundreds of kilometres away.
The shift is likely to take place first in Western Australia, but many networks in the eastern states are also looking at the opportunities, particularly after rules were changed this year that made such decisions much easier.
“Western Power’s ageing distribution network … is approaching end of life in many areas, with replacement cost presenting a significant challenge particularly in remote locations,” says Western Power in its statement on the issue.
“For small rural towns near the edge of the grid, the sustainability issue in replacing the network can be compounded by poor reliability, with customers experiencing frequent power interruptions due to stretches of bare overhead conductor sometimes hundreds of kilometres long.”
The fall in costs for both solar and battery storage, and the vast improvement in controls that can operate micro-grid reliably and safely, means that cutting off the wires now makes great sense - RENEW ECONOMY - link - Sophie Vorrath - link - more like this - link - more like this (Australia) - link
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